Tennessee Council on Volunteers Honors Retired FSRMC Nurse

Helen Vaughan Named Volunteer of the Year

When Helen Vaughan looks back on her 40 years in nursing, she says it all must have begun with a gift from her parents when she was only 10.

“I think my parents put the idea of nursing it into my head when I was little,” says the 74-year-old Seymour grandmother of four and volunteer at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center (FSRMC). “When I was in elementary school, they bought me a little nurse’s kit with a little plastic stethoscope, plastic needle and thermometer. So I think they were pushing me toward that way.”

But more than the toy nursing kit, Vaughan’s parents put a far greater gift into her heart: they gave her a caring spirit that earned her the 2019 Volunteer of the Year award from the Tennessee Council on Volunteers. The council supports the Tennessee Hospital Association and encourages volunteer participation in Tennessee healthcare organizations. Vaughan received the award at the council’s state leadership conference in October.

“To be a nurse, it has to be a calling, something that you love. You have to have a real need and fulfillment in the heart to help other people, and Helen has that. Helen is totally dedicated – 100 percent dedicated – to caring and helping others,” said Paula Minhinnett, coordinator of volunteer services at Fort Sanders Regional.  

After spending the last 15 years of her career at Fort Sanders Regional, Vaughan officially retired in 2011, only to return six months later as a volunteer. You’ll find Vaughan every Tuesday (and any other day she regularly fills in for other volunteers) in the hospital’s surgery lounge, answering phones, and keeping track of as many as 40 patients’ families. She keeps them informed, reassuring them and easing the fears of anxious family members by explaining the surgical process.

“Families want to know what’s going on. They have in mind how long it’s going to take, and if it takes longer, they get upset,” said Vaughan. “I try to explain to them because I’ve been on that side – I know why it takes so long. I explain that they are doing the things they need to do to get ready for the surgery, and that it takes a little bit of time. If a patient is going to have a knee replacement or whatever, I can talk with them about the post-op phase and what it entails. I can tell them what it’s going to be like, and that helps.”

With Vaughan, it’s always “patient first.” It’s a lesson learned not only as a nurse, but also as a patient herself. 

“I’ve had 20-some surgeries over the last few years,” she said. “They took care of me, and so I go in and take care of someone else for a while.”

“Families actually ask for Helen when they arrive for their loved one’s surgery,” said Keith Altshuler, president and chief administrative officer at Fort Sanders Regional. “With her wit and her basic hospital knowledge, Helen is an inspiration. Her 40 years of experience as a nurse has served us all well.”